To those of my reader-friends who are American – we are so blessed!  While I don’t like all that has gone on recently, we do still have so many freedoms to be thankful for.  To all of my reader-friends, regardless of whether you celebrated today or not – I hope you all had a blessed day and are having a wonderful summer!

Wow!  I can not even believe how long since I’ve stopped to post.  Not because I haven’t wanted to, but.because.I.just.couldn’t.  Now I’m going to ramble lots to catch you up a little bit :-).

First of all, our time at the cabin was AWESOME, cut short {I’ll explain in a minute}, not slow and restful – as anticipated, but just the idea I might get to stay for the month made it worth it.  I miss spending more time there.  We might make it back down this year, but I’m not sure.  I promise to go back and post more pictures from our time, but today I wanted to address 4th of July — and I finally have the moment of time.

So.  I am part of a political family + my dad is a state legislator + this is a campaign year + due to re-districting, dad’s district GREATLY changed this year = I have no “control” of my life this summer.  {I know that I know regardless of campaign status (or not) the illusion of control in my life is delusional – He has a plan, a perfect plan for my life.}

I am campaign manager, designer, organizer, shopper, planner, do’er.  My mom has been my side kick/second half, but for obvious reasons doesn’t want to be the one planning things for her husband.  BUT we make an awesome team – she calls people, talks to people, is capable of small talk, and genuinely is energized and enjoys being in groups/crowds of people.  I do not do any of the previous mentioned things well.At all.  I can design, plan, organize, send an email to nearly a 1,000 people; but, please, please, please – do not make me make phone calls, chit chat, or hang out in a crowd.  This arrangement has worked amazingly well for us.  So, while I say I am the manager, etc – I.could.not.do it without her her being right there too.  As for running a campaign – my dad knows how to do that and he says what he’d like.  I plan it.  Mom helps me orchestrate it & actually pull it off.

I can get the plan on paper.  Communicating execution of said plan does not come as easily for me.
{I need to interject a side note here – my kids LOVE the political side of things in our life.  They are stoked to be part of the campaign and freely give ideas – good ones, ones we’ve implemented.  I am biased, but God did give me two of the most amazing children to love, cherish, and attempt to teach them as much as I can about Him, so they can go on to lead amazing lives.}  So, while some of you may think, “those poor children”….think “poor April” :-D!  I am the one in five in this household who does not get a thrill out of what we are doing.  My problem, my choice, it IS my life {& isn’t likely to change :-)}.
That said.  I got to go to the cabin.  Mom stayed here to be my hands & legs.  In the 2.5 weeks I got to be there dad went back and forth three times – at 5 (flying) -10 (driving) hours of travel time per trip.  However, my time at the cabin was.NOT.spent blissfully reading books, learning all the software I’ve been waiting to learn, getting my websites up and working, walking, seeing life slow down, or just being.  
Remember that post on One Scary Thing? ya — been on facebook a ton lately (not for blog, but campaign).  Got my dad all set up and “teaching” him how to use it.  He’s getting pretty good too :-D.  Yesterday he took pictures, posted them and commented – and I never said a word! 

Two days before leaving for the cabin we learned dad had an opponent on the same ticket.  Someone who is known in the area that is new to us.  All of a sudden, a campaign summer became a hardcore campaign summer.  The significance of the same ticket is the election date moved from November 6th to August 28th.  This is a drastically different “plan of attack” – as in all campaigning in two months rather than waiting two months, then campaign for two months.  So, my time at the cabin was spent finalizing many things, including getting mini business cards, 4×4 square handouts, and parade flyers designed, ordered for printing {and holding my breath the online companies I picked were good}.  SCORE!  God was so incredibly gracious.  Three for three!  I ordered three products, from three different companies, all three were good!  I am a touch & feel person, so I was concerned how the paper would feel and what the colors would look like.  I used moo.com for the minicards, premiumcards.net for the 4×4 square handout cards, and 48HourPrint.com for the parade flyers.  {another side note:  I LOVE the smell of paper and ink….the flyers from 48HourPrint.com still smell soooooo good!}
Look!
< --  <-- I made that!  This is the backside of the flyer we handed out today in the parade.  The idea was my dad’s.  He wanted his info on the one side and The Declaration of Independence on the other side, with notes for why it’s important for we Americans to remember today.  
On top of the designing – I was planning, organizing, having mom gathering supplies for the parade.  Who will walk with us?  Can we get more t-shirts printed?  How much candy?  (We ran out last time?  How much has our area grown?)  Getting the right colors of balloons, streamers, etc.  How will we decorate the van? {Dad has a step van that is used as the mobile campaign office.  It has yard signs, big & empty interior – perfect!}

Enough rambling.  The parade was this morning.  It went amazingly well.  We had 30 of  us walking, handing out candy, handing out flyers, blowing bubbles, and carrying yard signs.  Me?  I pushed my niece in her stroller – I actually despise having to walk up to people and them candy or a flyer.  I asked a month ago if I could please have my niece, so I would have a stroller to push. {sigh}  I remember the first parade I was ever in – I was 12.  I wore a long white dress and rode on the top of the Toyota Land Cruiser we owned at the time.  I hated it then.  Then 12 years ago I started being in them again – for legislator friends.  I have watched two parades in the last 12 years: 2004, we were living in Wisconsin taking care of my grandpa; and 2010, I was doing school full-time and working, I just simply couldn’t deal.  My kids did though, just not me; besides, my dad didn’t have an opponent that year.  We haven’t been in a parade(s) every year, but enough years with more than one to easily cover.  I actually walked the longest parade.EVER.two weeks before my daughter was born.  Duh!   {I remember not thinking much of it, until overhearing comments.}

ALL of my time has been trying to keep up with the bare minimum of life and making sure everything was good to go and ready for today.  We did it!  I actually went to bed at 12:20 this morning, with basically everything done — candy mixed, bags filled, shirts sorted by size, everything organized and gathered by the front door — got up at 6:30am showered/got ready, made coffee, ate breakfast — with time to spare, to the point the five of us sat around just hanging out.  Mom, dad & I drinking coffee, and just visiting for the last 15 minutes before we loaded the van and left (it was too wet to load last night).  It was AWESOME!  God was so good to us, it was 47* and drizzly (after dumping sheets of rain last night) this morning.  However, it did NOT rain on us, I did wear two shirts, a scarf, and my down vest {can you say 4th of July in Alaska?!} while walking….but it was comfortable.  
Not too hot, not too cold (okay, I’m kind of lying here – it was chilly), and dry.
So, ya.  That’s been life around these parts for us lately.  I’m sorry I left you all hanging, but I am back.  🙂  I’m looking forward to getting to slow down a bit.  We still have lots scheduled, but the insane time crunch isn’t as looming, now that we’re past the 4th – mostly because the whole concept of parades are hard for me.  From here on out, the crowds are small in comparison :-D!  There will still be lots of work to do, but it’s starting to feel a bit “normal” and not all first-time activities.  I still don’t expect to post as often as I’d like, but I do expect to be able to actually take the time to read the blogs I miss so much…..

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